The invention relates to recombinant plant nucleic acids and polypeptides.
The gaseous plant hormone ethylene has a wide impact on plant growth and development (Yang et al., Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 35:155, 1984). Its synthesis is induced during many stages of plant life including seed germination, leaf abscission, organ senescence, and fruit ripening. Its production also rises strongly upon exposure to various stresses including wounding, excessive temperatures, drought, flooding, and exposure to certain chemicals. Many of these effects are of significant commercial importance in agriculture.
The direct precursor of ethylene in higher plants is the three-membered-ring amino acid 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid. The synthesis of this three-membered-ring amino acid is catalyzed by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (S-adenosyl-L-methionine methylthioadenosine-lyase, EC 4.4.1.14), commonly termed ACC synthase. This synthetic step is the rate-limiting step in the pathway to ethylene production.